Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

The Marine 5: Battleground Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 5, 2017

The Marine 5: Battleground may feature the largest roster of WWE Superstars ever assembled for the screen, but it's hardly the Royal Rumble. Maybe more like the Elimination Chamber. And with a blend of B-list stars (even if The Miz bills himself as an A-lister) and borderline jobbers, it's hard to see it as some sprawling, all-in WWE production. The Miz, who is a solid actor both in the ring and in film -- he was impressive The Marine 4: Moving Target -- can't save The Marine 5, easily, and by a far, the worst film in the series. Slow, dark, uncreative, and struggling to piece together its story with any flavor or purpose, the film flops about through boring backdrops, dull characters, and unimaginative shootouts, culminating in a flatline finale that mercifully brings this sloth of a film to an end.

A pair of assassins, including the recently released-from-prison Cole (Nathan Mitchell), gun down a biker. They are immediately chased by many other bikers vowing to avenge their fallen friend. They include (WWE Superstars) Cash (Heath Miller), Murphy (Trinity Fatu), Deacon (Joe Hennig), and Alonzo (Taylor Rotunda). In the mayhem, one of the gunmen is killed and Cole is severely wounded. Cole is able to maneuver the van he's driving into a deserted parking garage serving a closed-for-the-season amusement park. He calls in for help, and a pair of nearby EMT's -- Zoe (Anna Van Hooft) and Jake (WWE Superstar The Miz) -- arrive on the scene. It's dark, they cannot find the victim, and soon enough they come under fire from the angry bikers. As the night wears on, it's up to Jake, an ex-marine, to bring the wounded man to safety no matter the cost.

A mostly empty underground parking garage might make for an easy setting for a cheap direct-to-video film, but it doesn't make for a fun setting. For nearly thirty minutes the movie maneuverers through its concrete darkness, a location that offers no interesting backdrops or room for any sort of exciting action pieces. The film plays out in slow motion, hindered by a good many pitfalls but particularly by those terribly boring backgrounds, and by the time the lights come on very little changes. It might not be as hopelessly dark, but it's still just as hopelessly bland. The possibility for a more interesting setting comes into play towards the end -- an amusement park -- but the movie doesn't do much that's memorable with the tools and toys at its disposal, favoring crude, simple character maneuverings that rarely take full, exciting, death-defying advantage of the treasure trove of possibilities at its fingertips. Instead it's just on to the next boring shootout or fistfight, culminating in a poorly realized climax that lacks any spunk or spirit.

The cast of WWE Superstars might be the draw, but they don't add much to the roles. The Miz falls off a cliff from his performance in The Marine 4, though with a script this empty and a setting so hopelessly dull one cannot really blame him for failing to liven the movie up when so many burdens hold it down. He still looks good in the lead, and it seems the more bloodied, tired, and wounded he becomes, the more he melts into the action star persona; his clean-cut EMT character, as it is in the film's opening act, feels like an empty shell. By the time he reaches the third act, he's been through the ringer and as the character is largely running on nothing but adrenaline, The Miz seems to only grow stronger in the part. Bo Dallas, the de facto leader of the biker gang, is the weak link in the villainous chain. He's too naturally soft-spoken for the part and nobody in the audience is going to "Bo-lieve" that adding a few teardrop tattoos, longer and more straggly hair, and a bandana makes him a biker gang menace. The other WWE stars -- the rest of the "Social Outcasts" plus Diva Naomi, essentially -- melt well enough into part and serve their purpose as menacing, albeit disposable, villains. And poor Maryse, The Miz's real-life wife who also accompanies him in the ring, isn't in the movie long enough to even warrant more than a mention.

The Marine 5: Battleground Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Marine 5: Battleground was digitally photographed, and with the bland costumes and backgrounds the movie is hardly a visual feast for the eyes. It's more or less technically sound, though, with noise only spiking on occasion in some of the darker and lower light scenes, which are many, but not always a showcase for source noise. Other technical maladies, either source or encode, are few and far between. The image generally fares well enough at the baseline. Details aren't always crisp, but the white EMT uniforms and patches come close. Biker attire is darker, and blended into so many darker backgrounds doesn't often have a chance to shine, but some leathery textures stand out well enough when the opportunity arises with more light. The garage's concrete textures are adequately rigid and tactile, again when the movie offers enough light for the viewer to notice. Colors are neither here nor there, offering enough pop -- particularly some bright yellow accent painting in the garage -- to please when environments allow. Red blood stands out nicely in some of the later stages. Black levels usually hold deep, particularly at night, and avoid crush even in more challenging black-on-black situations. Flesh tones appear accurate. This is not a bad transfer; the movie just isn't very attractive.

The Marine 5: Battleground Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Marine 5: Battleground features a fairly straightforward action-oriented DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is fair, though even some of the more aggressive Rock notes to start the movie get a bit lost under the heavy motorcycle engine sounds. Spacing is fair, though, and while surround engagement isn't plentiful, there's enough wrap to satisfy. Dialogue gets lost at a bar sequence early on but never suffers that same fate again for the duration. Voices do echo very naturally, widely, and diffusely throughout the parking garage, offering full-on surround usage that pulls the listener right into the movie. Gunfire struggles at the beginning but picks up considerably in the garage and later outside. Punch and zip satisfy.

The Marine 5: Battleground Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Marine 5: Battleground contains two featurettes. No DVD or digital versions are included.

• Evening the Odds (1080i, 4:38): A quick look at shooting locations, characters, firearms, the movie's visual texture, and more.
• Superstars Studded (1080i, 4:19): A closer look at the WWE ensemble cast.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

The Marine 5: Battleground Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Marine 5: Battleground doesn't even rise to the level of a knock-off Die Hard, which the movie becomes in its final 30 or so minutes. The basic plot line is decent enough: how far will a paramedic go to save the life of someone he doesn't know? Decent enough premise, but horrible execution. The setting is dreadful, the action is bland, and the performances lack spirit (blame the script more than the actors). This is easily the worst in the Marine franchise, not exactly a classic series but, until now, a collection passable Action time killers. The Marine 5 doesn't sour the other films, but it sets a bad precedent for the WWE's marquee Action franchise going forward. Sony's Blu-ray offers stable video and audio. A couple of throwaway extras are included. Skip it.